Amusement games are generally known in the art. However, known amusement games suffer various deficiencies. For example, players of an amusement game often lose interest in playing the amusement game once they have mastered the play of the particular amusement game. Therefore, in an effort to maintain the interest of players of amusement games and/or to increase the profitability of amusement games, amusement games are currently being offered with tournament play capabilities.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,887 describes a game machine that includes a tournament mode for conducting automated tournaments. In the tournament mode, a plurality of tournament games are playable by a plurality of players on the game machine. Each of the plurality of tournament games generates a total player score upon completion of game play. The player scores in each of the plurality of tournament games are used to determine the winner.
Similarly, U.S. Published Patent Application 2002/0039923 describes a tournament gaming system that includes one or more gaming machines programmed for play of at least one tournament game. The gaming machines are linked through a host computer. Qualification for tournament play is effectuated through participation in one or more primary games programmed for tournament play.
Still further, PCT Published Patent Application WO 0029084 describes a tournament game system and method by which players may compete in international, regional, national, and local electronic game tournaments over a network, such as the Internet. A host server coupled via the network to multiple local servers controls the various tournaments. The local servers are each connected to a set of local games at each locale.
Yet further, U.S. Published Patent Application 2003/0130041 describes a dynamic tournament gaming method and system that includes the provision of a plurality of gaming terminal selectively interlinked with a host terminal so that players desiring to participate in group tournament play can be notified of the opportunity and provided with the choice to play or not. If a player chooses to play, they provide an entry fee into the terminal and await the start of the tournament. Upon the start of the tournament by the host terminal, the player will play the tournament game to accumulate as many points as possible.
Additional systems and methods for providing amusement game tournament play may also be found in PCT Published Patent Application WO 0238228 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,496,039, 5,114,155, and 4,974,857.
As described above, in conventional tournament play, a player may pay an entry fee and play the amusement game for the chance to win cash and/or prizes. The cash and/or prizes are strictly awarded to those players that have a highest score during the tournament. This method for awarding players, however, suffers the disadvantage in that it attracts only those players that have mastered the amusement game, i.e., only those players that feel that they can actually compete for the cash and/or prizes. Accordingly, tournament play that limits the awarding of cash and/or prizes to only those players that have a highest score fails to maximize the interest of players in an amusement game and/or the profitability of an amusement game.